Keonjhar: A 55-year-old man was axed to death in his sleep on the verandah of his house at Medinipur village under Ghatagaon police station limits in Keonjhar late Thursday night, police said. Ghatagaon Sub-Divisional Police Officer Bijay Krushna Mohapatra, along with other officers and a scientific team, visited the spot and began an investigation. Sources said Mahakud was alone in the house at the time of the incident. His wife had died earlier, his daughter is married, and his son is working abroad. The murder has created a stir in the village, with locals demanding a swift investigation and arrest of the culprits.